Neutral position clutch for spindle assembly

ABSTRACT

In a spindle assembly employable with textile machines, such as twisters and the like, which contains an electromagnetically actuable driving- and braking-clutch subassembly, there is disclosed an electromagnetic neutral position clutch subassembly cooperating therewith, which latter upon actuation disengages the spindle blade shaft from its driven cooperation with a drive means and its whirl and also from the electromagnetic drivingand braking-clutch subassembly, so that the spindle blade and yarn package thereon are freely rotatable for purposes of easily withdrawing a length of yarn from the package for threading up. The neutral position electromagnetically actuable clutch subassembly generally comprises an axially adjustable electromagnetic coil encircling the spindle blade shaft and positioned axially outwardly of the driving- and braking-clutch subassembly and inwardly of a compression spring which normally biases driving connection between the driving-clutch subassembly clutch plate, its interconnected spindle blade shaft and the driving whirl, and also a neutral position hub armature having an armature clutch plate attractable to the coil and a hub attached thereto which encircles the spindle blade shaft and is interposed between the spring and the driving- and braking-clutch plate.

United States Patent [191 Brooks et a1.

[ NEUTRAL POSITION CLUTCH FOR SPINDLE ASSEMBLY [75] Inventors: Frank E. Brooks, Seneca; James Waddington, Clemson, both of SC.

[73] Assignee: Maremont Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: June 2, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 149,146

[52] US. Cl 192/18 B, 192/12 D, 192/48.7-,

192/84 AB, 57/88 [51] Int. Cl. Fl6d 67/02 [58] Field of Search 192/18 B, 12 D, 84 AB,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,948,037 2/1934 Kingston 192/90 1,472,844 11/1923 Keller 192/90 X 2,779,448 l/1957 Lambach et al.. 192/18 B 3,194,367 7/1965 Winter 192/18 B 3,312,319 4/1967 Carroll et al. 192/18 B FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,131,573 6/1962 Germany 192/12 D Primary Examiner-Charles J. Myhre Assistant ExaminerRandall Heald Attorney-Donald I-I. Feldman June 12, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT In a spindle assembly employable with textile machines, such as twisters and the like, which contains an electromagnetically actuable drivingand brakingclutch subassembly, there is disclosed an electromagnetic neutral position clutch subassembly cooperating therewith, which latter upon actuation disengages the spindle blade shaft from its driven cooperation with a drive means and its whirl and also from the electromagnetic drivingand braking-clutch subassembly, so that the spindle blade and yarn package thereon are freely rotatable for purposes of easily withdrawing a length of yarn from the package for threading up. The neutral position electromagnetically actuable clutch subassembly generally comprises an axially adjustable electromagnetic coil encircling the spindle blade shaft and positioned axially outwardly of the drivingand braking-clutch subassembly and inwardly ofa compression spring which normally biases driving connection between the driving-clutch subassembly clutch plate, its interconnected spindle blade shaft and the driving whirl, and also a neutral position hub armature having an armature clutch plate attractable to the coil and a hub attached thereto which encircles the spindle blade shaft and is interposed between the spring and the drivingand braking-clutch plate.

PATENTEB Jum 2 ma 3. 738 .461

INVENTORS FRANK E. BROOKS B\Y/AME$ WA DD/NGTON HE/R .4 GEN T NEUTRAL POSITION CLUTCH FOR SPINDLE ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Spindle assemblies as used in textile machines and the like, and which employ an electromagnetically actuable drivingand braking-clutch subassembly to effect driving connection of the spindle blade with a drive means and to effect braking of rotation of said spindle blade upon energization of the coil of such clutch subassembly, have been known and commercially used for many years, such as that disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,364,670.

In the processing of yarn by employing certain types of textile machines such as twisters and the like, initially, at the start of yarn processing by the machine, or in instances during processing of yarn breakage, or in instances wherein a feed package of yarn is emptied before a take-up package of yarn is filled and thus a full new package of yarn must be put on the machine to complete the filling of the take-up package, the machine must be rethreaded by a length of yarn from the feed spindle assembly axially horizonthal of a creel through various elements such as pigtails, travelers and the like to the take-up spindle assembly axially vertical; this length is withdrawn from the feed package secured to the feed or creel spindle assembly. Commonly, at the delivery requiring such servicing, both feed and takeup spindle assemblies are braked to a stop, while assemblies at the other deliveries continue to operate. The desired length of yarn is then removed from the feed package either by sloughing" it off the outer end of the package (opposite where the package is seated on the spindle assembly), or the braked package is forcibly rotated in the unwind direction against the restraining force of the braking clutch subassembly. Alternately, the multi-delivery textile machine may be stopped by stopping the main motor drive, the feed package may be removed from the feed spindle assembly, the desired length of yarn may be unwound, the feed package may be replaced on the feed spindle assembly, threading-up is pursued, and the main motor is started. Such procedures where employable with spindle assemblies not having a neutral position or freely rotatable position clutch subassembly, similar to that which is described in U. S. Pat. No. 3,364,670.

The aforesaid expedients suffer from substantial disadvantages. When the sloughing-off method is employed, it is common that the sloughed length and the yarn against which it rubs are damaged, and it is also common that, in sloughing, the end portions of yarn layers may be forced off the feed package to form a loosened and unprocessable feed package; when the package and spindle are forced in the unwind direction against the braking force, which otherwise has stopped rotation thereof, considerable force is required and especially where the yarn package is large, 40 pound packages being in common usage on feed spindle assemblies; if the method by which the machine is stopped, and the package is removed therefrom to withdraw the desired yarn length, is used processing production is stopped at all other deliveries of the machine, removal and replacement of the heavy package is cumbersome, inconvenient and most uneconomical time-wise. With regard to the latter method, there is the ever present danger of damaging the package, and if it is heavy of injuring the operator.

have been used commercially on tube drive twisters for several years with some measure of success and acceptance in the art. In general, such clutchings involved a mechanical biasing of the drivingand braking-clutch subassembly, at the engagement position of the external lever control, away from its normal interconnection of the spindle blade with the driving means and its whirl in such a way that the spindle blade becomes freely rotatable and with it the package of yarn thereon. At another position of the control lever, the drivingand braking-clutch subassembly is biased into its normal condition of interconnecting the spindle blade with the drive means whereupon the spindle and package rotate. Thus, to actuate such biasing-clutching and declutching, the external control lever(s) is moved from one discrete position to another by manual means.

We have found, however, that substantial problems inhere to the use of mechanical neutral position clutchings, most prominent of which include the manual repositioning of the lever control in close proximity to the machine upon which other deliveries with their fast rotating spindle take-up and feed assemblies are operating. In itself, this provides for substantial safety hazards. Further, in indexing the control lever from one discrete position to another, the operator may not move the lever to its exact indexing position, the latter providing a positive hold on the lever thereat such as under the bias of a spring forcing the lever into a notch corresponding to the proper and exact indexing position, to provide a metastable condition wherein with but slight force such as by jarring the lever may be moved out of neutral position to a drive position. Thus, while the operator is in the process of threading up, such jarring force may be inadvertently applied and the spindle will rotate while the operator is in its proximity inviting injury thereto. Also, since manual force is required to reindex the lever against the aforesaid bias, great care by the operator is required to avoid injury by rotating spindles proximal the delivery upon which he is working and/or from the aforesaid metastable condition. Yet further, manual operation and'actuation of the neutral position clutchings are not instantaneous; in instances where through some misadventure there is a malfunction of the braking clutchings and the spindle must be stopped or slowed (which will occur if placed in neutral position and through inertia and friction be slowed and stopped), due to, say, yarn breakage and the lashing about of the broken yarn ends, and/or their ensnarlment with other machine components creating either a dangerous situation or one inviting damage to the machine, manual neutral positioning by such prior art means either is ineffectual and/or places the operator in danger.

It is to the remedy of the aforesaid difficulties that the present invention is directed.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a remotely controllable, non-manually actuable neutral position clutching subassembly for spindle assemblies.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanically simple, adjustable and instantaneously operable, safe electromagnetically actuable neutral position clutching subassembly for textile spindle assemblies.

These and other desirable objects and advantages of 5 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Most generally, the present invention comprises a spindle assembly having an electromagnetically actuable drivingand braking clutch subassembly, as in the prior art, and an electromagnetically actuable neutral position clutching subassembly which in interposed, circumferentially or in encircling relation to the spindle blade shaft between the driving and braking clutch subassembly (inwardly thereof) and the spring biasing means (outwardly thereof), which spring normally biases the spindle blade and the drive means into driven cooperation through interconnections therebetween. The present neutral position clutch subassembly comprises, in general, an electromagnetic coil encircling the spindle blade shaft and an armature hub comprising a clutch plate positioned inwardly of and attractable to the coil upon energization of the latter, and an elongate hub member encirling and spaced from the spindle blade shaft to be otherwise freely moveable therealong having the clutch plate fixed thereto proximal its outward end which end is in abutment with the biasing spring, and which extends inwardly the assembly toward the axially normal outer or braking surface of the driving and braking clutch subassembly.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, a spindle assembly, generally designated 10, is shown having a spindle blade 12' extending outwardly the assembly and upon which a yarn feed package (not shown) may be affixed for rotation therewith. Blade 12' has a shaft portion 12 held within a mounting hub 14 which is fixed to a textile machine (otherwise not shown) at a delivery thereof. Shaft 12 is mounted for rotation within hub 14 by means of a plurality of spaced apart bearing sets, generally designatedld and 18, and for driven rotation by a whirl component, generally designated 20, of a drive means (otherwise not shown) and a whirl bearing set, generally designated 22. Whirl is interconnected with the remainder of the drive means through a belt (not shown) about its circumferentially peripheral drive surface (unnumbered), said surface being formed on a body member 24 which is interposed between the belt and bearing set 22; body member has an outwardly facing driving surface 26 for cooperation with the clutch plate 28 of the driving and braking clutch subassembly of the spindle assembly at its inwardly directed driven surface 30, shown for purposes of illustration to be formed of a frictional material inset into the inwardly directed portion of clutch plate 28. Plate 28 also is formed with an upper horizontal braking surface 32 for cooperation with an electromagnetic braking coil 3d of the driving and braking clutch subassembly at its lower horizontal braking. surface 36, which also for purposes of illustration is shown to be formed with a frictional material separating the metal pole pieces (unnumbered) of the coil shown to the right and left thereof. Both clutch plate 28, at its surface facing shaft 12, and the opposing portion of shaft i2 bear an intercooperating spline 38, the splined surfaces thereof on plate 28 and shaft 12 mating with one another to permit limited axial movement of plate 28 therealong. Located intermediate inwardly positioned shaft bearing set 18 and clutch plate 28 is a biasing means compression spring 40 encircling shaft 12, and inwardly thereof and abutting therewith an elongate hub member 42 of the present neutral position clutch subassembly. In this preferred embodiment, hub 42 is shown to be formed of a plastic material for its inherent advantages of light weight, non-binding and/or self-lubricating axial movement with very little running clearance along shaft 1.2, and for its low cost in fabrication such as by molding techniques, and also is shown to have two depending cylindrical legs 4 and 46 separated by an inverted U shaped cavity, the latter also for purposes of reducing its weight to a minimum while retaining structural strength and integrity. Most generally, hub 42 may be formed of any structural material including steel, and alternately may be of a single piece not separated into legs and a top joining member (unnumbered) and without a cavity separating them. Proximal the outward end of hub 42 and fixed thereto to extend laterally toward mounting hub 14 and positioned outwardly of braking coil 34 is an armature clutch plate 48 of the neutral position clutch subassembly of the invention. Plate 48 is formed of a magnetically attractable material and is shown as being held within a ring-like recess in and proximal the outward end of hub 42. The combination of hub armature clutch plate 48 and hub 42 form the hub armature and indeed may be formed as a single piece rather than as shown from materials of construction wherein the plate 48 portion is electromagnetically attractable. An electromagnetic coil 5% of the neutral position clutch subassembly is fixed to the interior wall of mounting hub 14 so as to be adjustable axially inwardly and outwardly such as by set screws (not shown), such that its depending pole pieces (unnumbered), separated by a nonmagnetic frictional material inset having a bottom surface 52 and shown to the right and left thereof, face the upper surface 54 of hub armature clutch plate 48, such that upon energization of neutral position coil 50 clutch plate 38 and with it hub 42 are drawn outwardly to the pole pieces of coil 59 against the bias of spring 40.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION In operation, for purposes of threading up a delivery of a textile machine having a feed spindle assembly and a yarn take-up spindle assembly, both spindle assernsuch that clutch surface 32 abuts frictional material surface 36 set between said pole pieces and against the bias of spring 40, whereupon clutch plate 28 is braked from rotation and brought to a stop. Shaft 12, interconnected with plate 28 by means of spline 38, is thus also brought to a stop and with it spindle blade 12. In this braking operation, as clutch plate 28 is drawn to coil 34, its driven surface 30 is brought out of abutting engagement with driving surface 26 of ever-rotating whirl body member 24, against the bias of spring 40 which normally keeps such surfaces in abutting contact, through the interconnection therebetween of leg 44 of neutral position armature hub 42.

Once the full yarn package is donned onto spindle blade 12', neutral position clutch coil 50 is energized and concomitantly braking coil 34 is deenergized such as by depressing switch button N which shunts electric current from coil 34 to coil 50. Thereupon, neutral position clutch armature plate 48 is magnetically drawn to abutment with surface 52 of the frictional material set between the pole pieces of coil 50, thereby raising armature hub away from abutting contact with braking surface 32 of clutch plate 28 against the bias of spring 40, leaving clutch plate 28, and with it spindle blade 12' and the yarn package thereon freely rotatable. With regard to the latter, it should be noted that in conventional textile machines employing a creel or feed spindle assembly, such assembly is fixed to the machine horizontally; therefore, once the neutral position clutching is engaged as hereinbefore described, driven and braking clutch plate 28 now disengaged both from spring biased engagement with the driving whirl and the braking coil is not drawn by gravity into reengaged contact with the former, but indeed is freely rotatable. Thereupon one may with ease withdraw the desired length of yarn from the feed package, for it is freely rotatable, and thread the machine and the take-up, spindle-held yarn package or tube. Following rethreading, spindle blade 12' is once again rotated by turning off current to both coils 34 and 50, as by depressing switch button D, whereupon biasing spring 40 now unrestrained forces neutral position hub 42 inwardly of the assembly against drive and brake clutch plate 28, which latter also is axially moved inward the assembly and into abutting engagement of its driven surface 30 with driving surface 26 of rotating whirl to be drivingly rotated therewith, and thus also to rotate spindle blade 12' and the yarn package thereon through splined interconnection 38 between clutch plate 28 and spindle shaft 12.

DEFINITIONS According to the present invention, the terms outward and inward and their variants indicate and are defined as directions respectively away from and toward" the drive means or its whirl and the body of the machine.

While in the preceding preferred embodiment, the neutral position clutch plate is variously referred to as armature clutch plate and clutch plate, in its widest sence it is an armature; in other embodiments of the invention, if the armature is thick enough so as to be stable in axial movement, it is possible not to have to employ a hub therewith, and therefore the invention in its broadest terms does not require a hub; further, the present neutral position electromagnetic clutch subassembly may be usefully employed with other than textile machines which require remotely actuable freely rotatable shafts which may be driven or braked. Yet further, since many types of interconnections besides splines may be used, the invention is not restricted thereto.

We claim:

1. In a spindle assembly having a driven spindle shaft and blade; drive means for rotatingly driving the same; and an electromagnetically actuable brake and deactuable drive subassembly having a clutch plate with an electromagnetically attractable armature integral therewith interconnected with and circumferentially encircling said shaft for limited axial movement relative thereto and rotational movement therewith, said plate being normally biased into abutting driving interconnection between said drive means and said shaft, mechanical biasing means for normally biasing said plate into abutting driving interconnection between said drive means and said shaft, and an electromagnetic coil rigidly fixed to said assembly and interposed between said plate and biasing means;

in combination therewith, the improvement comprising:

a neutral position, electromagnetically actuable clutch means for, as desired, providing abutting interconnection of said biasing means with said plate for driving and braking said shaft upon, respectively, deactuation and actuation of said coil, and for providing disconnection of abutting interconnection of said plate and biasing means upon actuation of said clutch means for rendering said shaft freely rotatable, said clutch means comprising a second electromagnetic coil rigidly fixed to said assaid biasing means into abutment with said coil,

for disengaging abutting interconnection between said drive means and said plate, and for braking said plate and shaft to a stop, deenergizing both of said coil for effecting biasing of said plate through said biasing means .into

abutting relation with said drive means, and for effecting driven rotation of said plate and shaft,

and

deenergizing said coil and energizing said second coil, for attracting said second armature against the bias of said biasing means into abutment with said second coil, for disengaging interconnection Y between said plate and said drive means, and for rendering said shaft freely rotatable.

2. An improvement as in claim 1, wherein said hub armature includes an elongate hub member coaxial with said shaft, its outer end being fixed to said second plate and in abutting contact with said biasing means.

3. An improvement as in claim 2, wherein the inner end of said hub member is in abutting contact with said plate and said switch means has deenergized both coils,

whereby said hub member provides interconnection ative said assembly.

5. An improvement as in claim 2, wherein the inner end of said hub member is in abutting contact with said plate under bias from said biasing means, said second armature is in spaced away relation to said second coil, said plate is in abutment with said coil, and said switch means has energized said coil and deenergized said second coil, whereby said shaft is braked to a stop.

UNITED STATES PA'iENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 738 461 t d June 12 1973 Inventor(s) Frank E. Brooks 6 James Waddington It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Following Claim 5 at Column 8, line 10, Claim 6 should be added as follows:

--6. The combination as in claim 1, wherein said switch means is locatable remote from said spindle assembly.-

Signed and Scaled this sixteenth Day of September 1975 [SEAL] A ttes t:

' RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer (ummissiuner uj'Parents and Trademarks UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTlFlQA'lE 0F CORRECTIQN Patent No. 3,738,461 Dated June 12, 1973 Frank 15. Brooks 5 James Waddington It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the Face Sheet, "Attorney-Donald H. Feldman" should read Agent-Donald H. Feldman At Column 1, Line 23, "feed spindle assembly axially horizonthal" should read axially horizontal feed spindle assembly Line 25, "take-up spindle assembly axially vertical" should read axially vertical take-up spindle assembly At Column 3, Line 66, "upper horizo'ntal"should read outwardly directed At Column '4, Line 2, "lower horizontal" should read inwardly directed Signed and sealed this 12th day of November 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents ORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 r: us. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I969 oass-a:u 

1. In a spindle assembly having a driven spindle shaft and blade; drive means for rotatingly driving the same; and an electromagnetically actuable brake and deactuable drive subassembly having a clutch plate with an electromagnetically attractable armature integral therewith interconnected with and circumferentially encircling said shaft for limited axial movement relative thereto and rotational movement therewith, said plate being normally biased into abutting driving interconnection between said drive means and said shaft, mechanical biasing means for normally biasing said plate into abutting driving interconnection between said drive means and said shaft, and an electromagnetic coil rigidly fixed to said assembly and interposed between said plate and biasing means; in combination therewith, the improvement comprising: a neutral position, electromagnetically actuable clutch means for, as desired, providing abutting interconnection of said biasing means with said plate for driving and braking said shaft upon, respectively, deactuation and actuation of said coil, and for providing disconnection of abutting interconnection of said plate and biasing means upon actuation of said clutch means for rendering said shaft freely rotatable, said clutch means comprising a second electromagnetic coil rigidly fixed to said assembly outwardly of said coil in encircling spaced relation to said shaft, and a hub armature comprising a second clutch plate having integral therewith a second armature encircling and spaced from said shaft for relative axial movement thereto and interposed laterally between said biasing means and said plate and also laterally between said coil and said second coil; and switch means for respectively, as desired, energizing said coil and deenergizing said second coil, for attracting said plate against the bias of said biasing means into abutment with said coil, for disengaging abutting interconnection between said drive means and said plate, and for braking said plate and shaft to a stop, deenergizing both of said coil for effecting biasing of said plate through said biasing means into abutting relation with said drive means, and for effecting driven rotation of said plate and shaft, and deenergizing said coil and energizing said second coil, for attracting said second armature against the bias of said biasing means into abutment with said second coil, for disengaging interconnection between said plate and said drive means, and for rendering said shaft freely rotatable.
 2. An improvement as in claim 1, wherein said hub armature includes an elongate hub member coaxial with said shaft, its outer end being fixed to said second plate and in abutting contact with said biasing means.
 3. An improvement as in claim 2, wherein the inner end of said hub member is in abutting contact with said plate and said switch means has deenergized both coils, whereby said hub member provides interconnection between said biasing means and said plate biasing said plate into abutment with said drive means to rotate said plate and shaft.
 4. An improvement as in claim 2, wherein the inner end of said hub member is in spaced away relation to said plate, said second armature is in abutting contact with said second coil and said switch means has deenergized said coil and energized said second coil, whereby disconnection between said biasing means and plate is provided and said shaft is rendered freely rotatable relative said assembly.
 5. An improvement as in claim 2, wherein the inner end of said hub member is in abutting contact with said plate under bias from said biasing means, said second armature is in spaced away relation to said second coil, said plate is in abutment with said coil, and said switch means has energized said coil and deenergized said second coil, whereby said shaft is braked to a stop. 